What To Do If Your Sewerage Is Blocked

A sewer drain has one job: carry wastewater away from your home. Clog it with hair, kitchen scraps, grease, toiletries or any other foreign object and you’ll notice the result fast. Drains run slowly or not at all, and an unmistakable sewage smell starts rising from them.

Over time, that buildup can become a full blockage. Wastewater stops being carried away and starts pooling between you and the blockage instead.

If the blockage is in the external sewerage system, sewage may rise up through the Overflow Relief Gully (ORG) outside your home. Without an ORG, it can back up inside your home instead.

Whose sewage pipe is it?

Who fixes it comes down to whose pipe it is. In most cases your sewerage connects to your local council’s infrastructure. Trouble inside your internal plumbing means the repair bill is yours. If the cause is the council-owned sewer, they should foot the bill.

Figuring that out isn’t always easy. Slow or stopped drainage from your sinks, shower or toilet usually points to a problem in your own pipes. Sewage spilling out, even when none of those fixtures are in use, points to the council’s sewer. A licensed plumber can pin down the source either way.

What’s the next step?

Plumbing is complex and mostly hidden, so your best bet is a professional who can diagnose the problem and sort out the fix. Often that means CCTV technology to actually see inside the pipes.

Once the blockage is found, clearing it takes specialised techniques and equipment. Be very wary of DIY fixes for a blocked sewer, like pouring chemicals down the sink. In some cases they can make things worse.

Even when a blockage clears, the root cause may still be sitting in the pipe. If any part of your sewage system is damaged or broken, your plumber can repair it or replace individual parts as needed.

Call the experts

Drainpro’s team specialises in drainage plumbing, from emergency plumbing to boundary trap replacement, and we’ve got the expertise and tools to sort any problem out. To find out more, give us a call on 1300 303 247 or fill out our online form for a quick quote.